How do you prevent a roll from sticking to itself?
When working with adhesive part rolls, parts can be lost or deformed as they transfer onto the liner. Because this can result in defective parts or faulty automation, some converters suggest interleaved liners as a prevention method.
Flexible material converters, like Strouse, often use techniques to layer parts in ways that enhance the product goal. Based on our experience, using an interleaved liner can reduce the risk of errors during usage and product assembly.
If you’re interested in optimizing your product order, read on to learn how interleaved liners will help improve the functionality and usability of your parts.
What Are Interleaved Liners?
An interleaved roll liner is a double-sided, continuous liner that can be added to the top of a roll of parts and sent along with the finished goods.
Converters may use interleaved liners for fairly thick adhesives that ooze because they prevent the parts from transferring to the back of the liner. You’ll see this when a customer asks for a part to be kept on its original, single-coated liner.
At Strouse, we typically choose thin, double-coated PET as an interleaved liner, or in some cases, single-coated if the delivery liner has no holes. However, interleaved liners do not necessarily need to be PET—they could be paper, PE, or another material, depending on the product.
Why Should I Use an Interleaved Liner?
You may not initially be aware that you’ll need an interleaved liner, but they can make a massive difference in part performance and the integrity of a material roll.
1. PREVENTS OOZING
While oozing may still happen, an interleaved liner will isolate the adhesive oozing to the back side of the liner—the side it would press against when rewound on a core—and help prevent a possible transfer to that side.
2. ADJUSTABLE RELEASE
Depending on the application, it may make more sense to use a very easy-release interleaved liner to ensure the parts do not stick to it. A medium-release liner might be suitable for other applications where a more firm fix is needed.
3. DISPOSABLE
The interleaved liner is a throwaway liner, so it may affect the total cost for small machine runs. However, due to the economy of scale, the cost difference will likely be negligible for larger runs.
While discussing order adjustments can be frustrating, adding an interleaved roll liner in the right situation may greatly improve the process of assembling your final product.
Now that you understand the benefits of an interleaved liner, contact Strouse's team of experts for a project quote today so they can begin optimizing your design and planning an efficient manufacturing process.
Or, for more information on liners, films, and general converting processes, visit our Learning Center for more educational resources to help you through product development.
